We Belong Together
by 0reenie0
Summary: The trio are back for their 7th year at Hogwarts and unfortunetly so is Draco, but something's different. Hermione's in pain and Draco's in pain. Can they stop fighting long enough to realize they need each other? Please R & R!
1. Meeting at Diagon Alley

**We Belong Together**

**Chapter 1: Meeting at Diagon Alley**

She wore a scarlet camisole under a bright yellow beater. A denim mini skirt with ruffles all along the bottom fitted her perfectly and showed off her tanned legs that came from spending her summer in Greece with her family. On her feet she wore a pair of red flip flops with yellow polka dots streaming an outline along the edge. It was a pretty warm day, with the sun's rays beating down on everyone in Diagon Alley, but with a slight breeze that made the air around her seem just perfect. Hermione Granger was tapping her foot impatiently outside of _Ollivanders_ while waiting for her two best friends – Harry Potter and Ron Weasley – to show up. They were supposed to buy all their school supplies for the upcoming year today, before heading back to the Burrow, as they were to leave for their final year in the morning, but as usual, the two boys were undoubtedly and inexplicably late.

"Hermione! Hey Hermione, over here!" yelled a young boy with messy black hair, round glasses that were crooked, and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt just barely visible on his forehead.

Hermione snapped her head around in the direction of the deep voice, her skirt being blown in the slight wind. A wide smile crept across her tanned face as she saw Harry emerge from a crowd of wizards and witches all staring and gawking at the new broom on display – The Dragon's Tail – and she started to giggle, temporarily forgetting how impatient she was that he was late.

"Harry! It's been so long! How are you? Where's Ron, and Ginny? Why are you laughing?" she exclaimed as she ran towards him and threw herself on him. "You're late!" she added as an afterthought as she remembered waiting for nearly an hour for them to show up.

Laughing, Harry hugged her back. "I'm fine, what about you? Oh, Ron, Ginny and the rest of the Weasley's are on their way. They just stopped off at Gringotts, they should be here soon. And I'm laughing because you haven't changed at all 'Mione and it's good to see you too. Although, you do _look_ different, but you're personality is as it was 6 years ago." Sighing, he added, "Can you believe that it's our 7th year already? It seems like just yesterday when Hagrid came knocking down my door, literally I might add, and then I met you and Ron on the Hogwarts Express. I'm going to miss that school, but I don't think we will lose touch. At least, we better not; though as long as Ron passes his apparition test we can all see each other as often as we wish!" He grinned at Hermione as she started laughing.

"True Harry, but I'm sure he'll pass. I'll makesure he does!" She replied grinning back. "Wait a minute, what do you mean I _look_ differently? I haven't changed that much, have I?" she added confused at his comment.

It was true, Hermione had changed. Her shoulder-length brown bushy hair was no longer bushy and short, but long – down to the back pockets on her skirt – and in soft delicate curls that shone a chestnut colour, that complimented her bright, sparkling hazel eyes. She still didn't believe in wearing a lot of make-up, but an intense bronze dusted her cheeks to give her a flushed appearance and a pale pink gloss made her full lips shine. A thin line of black was drawn under her eye and a bit of bluish-black eye shadow gave her eyes a smoky look. Whether she believed it or not, Hermione looked gorgeous, and the summer had been good to her.

"Well… your hair is grown out and you're wearing some makeup, your eyes are twinkling more than ever, and you have an aura around you. You've grown a little taller than the last time I saw you and you're tanned. So yes, I'd say that you do look different, but in a good way, don't worry. You look beautiful, I must say," he responded, "Too bad I already have a girlfriend, one that I love dearly and wouldn't let anyone or anything get in the middle of it!" His smile grew so wide, she thought his face would split in two.

"Oh Merlin, Harry! You… and who? Oh, Harry! Is it Ginny? Please tell me it's Ginny! Thank you for the compliments." She blushed just as Ron and Ginny appeared by their sides.

"I heard my name! What happened? Hermione, you look stunning! It's so good to see you!" Ginny squealed as she ran up to give Hermione a big hug and then settled herself beside Harry, who instinctively put his arm around her waist, drawing Ginny closer to him. Ginny had changed a lot too. Her short, bright red hair had turned almost dark burgundy, was flat-iron straight and reached down to her waist. She had side bangs that reached down to the side of her face and she had lost nearly all of her freckles. Her brilliant blue eyes shone bright as she looked over at Harry in awe.

"I knew it! I knew you guys would get back together. Oh, I'm so happy for you two! Harry was just telling me about him finding himself a girlfriend when you two showed up. And thanks Ginny, I really didn't notice that I looked _that_ different."

"Well, you do, you look wonderful 'Mione and it's great to see you!" piped up a certain tall, muscular, red-head with a few freckles across his nose as he walked over to give one of his best friends a tight squeeze. Not to mention his ex-girlfriend.

Hermione blushed again as she hugged Ron back. "Thanks guys, really, but can we please stop obsessing over me? We still need to get our school supplies and we're running late. Ron, where's the rest of your family?"

"They went back home. Mum wanted to cook a large dinner for the arrival of you two," Ron replied pointing at Harry and then Hermione.

"And she figured that we could handle ourselves. Though, she did warn us to _'be careful and watch out'_," Ginny cut off her brother while imitating Mrs. Weasley perfectly.

The whole lot of them started laughing at Ginny's imitation as they started walking off to _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions _to gather their dress robes and such. After that, they headed in the direction of _Flourish and Blotts_ to get their school books. A long day of shopping forced the four teenagers to enter the _Leaky Cauldron_ and order four butterbeers, one for the each of them. They sat down at a table in a near by corner and started talking about their summers, how Ginny and Harry got together, and their upcoming year.

"Well, I went to Greece. It was absolutely fantastic there! It was only for a month, but I wished I could have stayed longer because time just seemed to fly by so fast! But it was beautiful, just dazzling! I met a lot of nice people there-" started Hermione before getting cut off by Ginny.

"-Any boys? I mean, I've heard that there are quite a few hot boys out in Greece," she said nudging Hermione, though Ron and Harry just rolled their eyes.

"Ginny, can you think of nothing else? It's always got to be about b-"

"Actually, there was this one that I liked a lot. He took me touring around and we hung out a lot. It was really sad when I had to leave, because I really didn't want to," interrupted Hermione, as Ron just glared at her for cutting him off so rudely. Harry just laughed as the girls giggled and moved on to the topic of gossip – the latest fashion, stars, and what people they knew from school were up to these days. Ron on the other hand, was not finding the humor in any of this.

"Just look at her go! It's like our breakup meant nothing to her! I mean, we _just_ broke up before the summer and there she goes all happy and cheery, meeting new guys and acting as if nothing happened between us. Is she not hurt at all?" fumed Ron.

"Ahhh mate, calm down! You're looking kind of freaky. May I remind you, that you _both _decided to break up? It takes two, and I'm sure she's hurting but she's got to move on, and so do you. Remember why you broke up? To protect yourselves and each other. The war was approaching fast and you couldn't bear losing each other. Now we've made it through, but you need to relax. You're way better as friends anyway, you know it's true. Don't worry, you'll find someone. Give it time, but in a while you'll feel happy about Hermione meeting guys too."

Knowing that it was true, Ron just nodded. He couldn't forget all the times with Hermione, all the times he laughed with Hermione, cried with Hermione. He couldn't forget how much he _loved_ Hermione, but he knew what Harry was saying was true. He had let her go, believing it was the best thing for the both of them, believing he was protecting her, and because of that, he had to let go, he had to be happy for her, he had to move on.

"Oh my, guys! It's five o'clock! You're parents are going to want us home soon Ginny, Ron. We better go!" Hermione shrieked. She as always, was the punctual and responsible one.

"You're right, let's go," replied Harry and with that, they walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and towards a wizard's taxi that immediately brought them to the welcoming house of the Burrow.

* * *

**A/N - Thanks, Natalie! You did a fabulous beta-ing! **


	2. Head Girl and Head Boy

**We Belong Together**

**Chapter 2: Head Girl and Head Boy**

Mrs. Weasley greeted them at the door, almost knocking Ron over in her attempt to reach Hermione.

"Dear! Hermione, dear! How are you? How was your summer? Are you hungry? I have dinner all ready." she said as she swept Hermione into a motherly hug.

"I'm fine, thank you Mrs. Weasley. My summer was brilliant, how are you? I'm famished though, can't wait for dinner!" replied Hermione as she watched Harry go through a painful hug by Mrs. Weasley.

"Well come on dears, go get washed up, set your things down in your rooms and we'll see you down in the kitchen soon." she said politely to Harry and Hermione, and then turning around, "Ron, Ginny, go get Fred and George and then set the table out in the backyard!" she snapped, while stalking off to the kitchen.

"Come on guys, let's go," said Harry turning around and heading up the staircase with Ron, Hermione and Ginny on toe. After settling their belongings in the appropriate rooms, and finding Fred and George, they all headed downstairs to help set the table.

"So what did you boys do this summer?" Hermione questioned Fred and George, seeing them huddled together at the back of the line-up.

"Oh, you know. Same ole, same ole. Managing in a joke shop isn't as easy as it may look-" said Fred.

"-Especially when you invent all the jokes yourself-" continued George.

"-But we manage-" smirked Fred.

"-And have fun too!" finished George as he looked at Fred and grinned, then said "So what did Miss Granger do? By the looks of it, you were out in the sun-

"No way! I would've thought you'd spend your whole summer indoors, locked up in a library somewhere, _reading_! I would never have guessed that you would like the sun!" mocked Fred with a raised eyebrow at Hermione.

"Well actually, I went to Greece if you must know. I had fun and I only touched a book a few couple of times." she said, but then seeing the faces of the twins she rushed on, "No really! I decided that it's my last year, and I need to be a little laid back. The war is over, Voldemort is _dead_ and as much as I want to do something with my life, I also want to have fun this year and not be so up-tight."

"Well that's news! Nice to hear it 'Mione!" sighed George, trying to hold back a laugh at Hermione's hurried explanation. He believed her, but it was hard and he still found it funny. So did everyone else, though they succeeded in stifling their giggles.

After they were all seated outside and the food was brought out, Hermione noticed two extra unoccupied places at the table, but figured that it was probably Charlie and Bill joining them, like they did back in her fourth year. She decided to ask but just as she opened her mouth, 2 loud _pops_ were heard as two figures appeared beside Fred and George. They were women and they appeared to be about the same age as the twins – 19 on the verge of 20. They looked almost identical and Hermione figured that they were twins. One of them had dark brown hair highlighted with electric blue that hung at shoulder-length and blue eyes to match her hair streaks. She wore black baggy capris, a blue tank top, and black sneakers. The other one had short, dark brown hair that was tied up in a messy pony-tail with some natural curls falling down over the side of her face. She had bangs that fell down to her eyebrows and her eyes matched those of her sister perfectly. She wore dark denim jeans and a red tank top that clung to her curvaceous figure along with red flip flops.

"Hey Brooke." said Fred walking over to the girl with blue streaks in her hair and kissed her on the cheek.

"Christina! Hey sweetie." said George as he walked over to the other girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek as well, before both girls walked away towards Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to greet them. When they returned, Fred and George introduced Brooke and 'Tina' to Harry and Hermione. After all the greetings took place, everyone dug into the delicious dinner set out before them.

_'This is great… Being back with everyone. I missed them all so much. I really cannot believe this is our last year… no romance yet. I hope Ron is okay.' _Thought Hermione. _'This is getting too hard. I need to tell them soon. I can't hold it inside me forever. They deserve to know. Soon…'_ as she ate, Hermione's mind wandered. She needed them to know. She was going to break down soon, she could feel it coming. It was too much emotion for one person. Too much of a burden for one person to carry alone. She needed her friends to be there for her, to help her, before she went insane, and she could feel insanity coming straight for her.

After dinner, everyone went to bed. They all needed to wake up early if they wanted to make it to platform 9 and ¾ on time, and find an empty compartment.

* * *

The next morning was extremely hectic. Just like every other first day of school. Hermione didn't have any time to settle down and let her mind wander to troublesome thoughts, she was too busy getting dressed, packing up all the last minute books, quills, robes and clothes she had lying around into her trunk and go down for breakfast.

As Ginny and her appeared downstairs in the kitchen, they found the rest of the family down there having cereal, eggs and bacon, toast and waffles. All but two boys, two best friends of hers. She ran back upstairs to their room and started yelling and shaking them to wake up.

"You're late! Wake up already! Ron, Harry, get up! Ron! Harry! RON AND HARRY GET UP THIS INSTANT!" she bellowed at the two of them.

"What the bloody hell are you on about now 'Mione?" snapped Ron, rubbing his eyes. He looked like a 5-year-old waking up in the middle of the night on Christmas trying to see Santa.

"What am I on about? How about that you two are an hour late in getting up and we're leaving in another hour and you still have to make sure you have everything, eat something and get ready so we can leave! That's what I'm on about, Ronald Weasley!" she yelled quickly. "You too Harry Potter! Now, GET UP!"

"Alright, alright, I'm up! Gees!" shouted Harry, getting up and putting on a shirt and jeans. Ron followed suit and they soon headed for the stairs, Hermione right behind them, fuming.

Once downstairs, they each grabbed a plate with eggs and bacon and started eating, Ron going back for seconds and thirds. Just as they were about to get up, an owl flew down and a letter landed right in front of Hermione. She quickly untied the parchment from the owl and before she could give it a treat or money it had already flown off again. Hermione tore the letter open and scanned it quickly, her eyes getting wider as she read each word.

"What-" Ron started.

"I'm Head Girl! _Head Girl! _Oh, this is absolutely brilliant! I'm so excited!" she screamed as she bolted up from the table, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley giving her hugs.

"That's great, 'Mione! I was wondering when that was going to arrive." mused Ginny as Ron and Harry nodded, each of them giving her a hug. "Does it say who the Head Boy is? I wonder…" continued Ginny.

"As long as it isn't Malfoy, I'll be fine. But can you imagine if it was? I'd kill him in a day… _downright kill him!" _Hermione said as everyone laughed at her remark. "But seriously, imagine… I'd have to live with the git! Oh, please Merlin don't let it be Malfoy!"

* * *

Half and hour later, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were standing in between platforms 9 and 10, having a normal conversation as they silently passed through the barrier allowing them onto platform 9 and ¾ without being by any of the muggles. The Golden Trio stood in awe before the Hogwarts Express, remembering the past 6 years, all the adventures, hardships, and fun. This was their last year, their second last ride on the train, and they couldn't believe it. They quickly snapped out of their trance when they saw Ginny staring at them, tapping her foot impatiently. But what did _she_ have to worry about? _She_ still had one more year after this one. They ran onto the train, found an empty compartment, loaded all their belongings inside and stuck their heads out the window to wave goodbye to Mrs. Weasley.

"Be careful! Don't get into trouble! Have fun and I'll see you next summer!" cried Mrs. Weasley as the train started moving. She kept waving, and so did they until the other was out of eye-shot.

Sitting back down in their compartment, Harry turned his attention to Ginny, who had been staring at him, her eyes sparkling again. He had a certain twinkle in his eyes too… there was a spark between them.

_'They're in love'_ thought Hermione. _'I wonder if I'll ever find love again. After Ron…'_ she sighed heavily. She didn't want to remember their break-up. She had loved him, but they knew what they were doing was for the best. They didn't want to lose each other, and they didn't want their friendship ruined, so they had decided that breaking up was the best solution, and they were right. But Hermione still felt lonely, she missed the comfort of a boy, the feeling of being protected. Of course she was still safe, she had her best friends in the world surrounding her, but she didn't have a special someone. Someone to talk to for hours on end, someone to tell all her secrets and horrors to, someone to love. _Love..._

_'Snap out of it, Hermione! Love isn't the only thing. You have great friends, a loving family… oh no… family…' _she thought. She didn't want to think about her family either. It was too painful and she didn't want to remember them either. Sighing once again, she looked at her watch. 12:30pm. _'What time was the Head meeting again?' _she wondered as she glanced at her parchment that held all the information of being Head Girl. 1:00pm. _'Great, you still have another half hour.'_

Looking around, she noticed Ron wasn't in the compartment, and Harry and Ginny were making out, not having a care in the world about anyone seeing them. _'They look like wild rabbits going at it' _she thought disgusted.

"Hey guys, not to umm… break up anything _important _but where did Ron disappear to? Not that I'm surprised. I wouldn't exactly like to see my younger sister and best friend in that particular position!" she said laughing. Harry was on top of Ginny, lips never leaving each other, with Ginny pulling on Harry's shirt trying to get him to come closer to her. Realizing what Hermione said, they sprang apart, embarrassed. Ginny was going as red as Ron's hair and Harry looked uncomfortable, scratching the back of his head, with a good 4 feet distance between them. Hermione started laughed even harder, if that was possible, as she rolled off the seat and onto the floor.

"Sorry guys, but you should have seen your faces with the mention of Ron's name!" she said trying to calm herself down, failing and having another laughing fit.

"Sorry 'Mione. We didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. Umm… Ron? I have no idea where he went. Probably to get some sweets from the trolley. I gave him a few Galleons incase he got hungry or something." Harry said as his cheeks turned pink.

"It's okay guys. I know you just can't keep your hands off each other." she replied smirking. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that my meeting is in 15 minutes, just so you wouldn't worry, but _clearly_ you're in your own little world, so it's okay." She grinned widely. "Just tell Ron, so he knows. Okay, well, I have to go get changed now, so I'll talk to you guys later!" and with that, she stalked off to change into her school robes.

She appeared at the Head Compartment, fully dressed in her robes and with her shiny Head badge pinned to her chest, glistening in the sunlight streaking through the windows. The room was large. It was… huge. No. More than huge.

_'This is bloody brilliant!' _thought Hermione. _'It's twice the size of my room back home!' _She stood there standing and looking around, in awe. The room was furnished extravagantly. The floors were hardwood and the big windows were draped in an off-white ruffle curtains that were being held together at each end of the window. There were two large couches at either end of the room, each surrounded by two smaller ones on either side, facing each other. The couches were of black leather and quite comfy. There was a coffee table in the centre of the two chairs, with a plush carpet underneath. There were racks of shelves along the ceiling for the luggage to be placed. The walls were wallpapered in dark red, green, blue and yellow stripes. Hermione was in shock. It was beautiful.

Just as she was about to sit on one of the leather couches, Professor McGonagall walked in swiftly and took a seat opposite Hermione.

"Hello, Granger. Glad to see that you are early. We'll just wait a few more minutes for the Head Boy to show up. Please, sit down dear." said Professor McGonagall professionally.

"Yes, professor. May I ask who theHead Boy_ is_?" questioned Hermione, hoping that it wasn't Malfoy.

"Granger, _so good to see you_. May I answer your question? It's quite simple really, one word, two letters. Care to guess?" asked a drawling, sarcastic voice behind Hermione. Hermione knew that voice, and as it spoke, she froze solid. Her head turned around quickly, coming face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy himself. "Me." Malfoy continued simply.

_'Egotistical git!' _thought Hermione, fuming.

* * *

**a/n - I know i know, it's really boring right now. The last chapter especially, sorry! Please do bear with me though, we have a long way to go and it's just the beginning. It'll get more interestng, TRUST ME! haha. anyhoo... please read and review. I'd much appreciate it. Thanks :)**  



	3. Welcome back to Hogwarts!

**Disclaimer - hmm... I didn't do this in my earlier chapters but I should soo... Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, not me.**

******We Belong Together**

******Chapter 3: Welcome back to Hogwarts!**

"Please sit down, Mr. Malfoy. We certainly don't have all day and I would like to get this meeting started, _soon_!" snapped McGonagall, as he took a seat down beside Hermione.

"Would you mind moving a little, Malfoy? There's plenty of space on the other side of the couch." Hermione said coldly. "I would like to have _some_ _space_!"

"Anything for you, _Granger_" replied Draco sarcastically, as he moved a few paces over to the left.

"I trust you two know why you are here?" continued McGonagall as the two Heads nodded in response. "We will just go over a few of the details. You two are to patrol the hallways every night, _together_, from 9:00pm to 11:30pm. Any student seen out of bed past 9:30 is to get a detention and points knocked off. Any fighting results in a week's detention and more points knocked off. Now, you two will be _sharing_ a common room, your own dorm. The Headmaster uses this method for house unity, and you are to set examples for the younger students, so please behave yourselves. Your password is to not be given out to anyone, but you may have guests over. Select few, may I add. I do not want a party taking place every night!" she stopped to look at Draco before continuing again. "You two will also be in charge of meetings being held with the prefects. You will be in charge of organizing Hogsmeade visits, dances and any other social events you would like to take place. And I trust that you two will still be able to maintain high grades even with these duties and privileges. Good luck to the both of you!" and with that she stood up, dusted her robes off, collected her books and loose parchment and walked off, closing the compartment door behind her.

"Well, _Malfoy_, just stay out of my way, and that way we can both be happy. Okay?" asked Hermione, walking towards the door.

"Not so fast, _Granger_." he said, walking ahead of Hermione and blocking the door. "We're going to be living together. I doubt we can avoid each other, _that_ easily. And besides, you look mighty fine this year!" he whistled, smirking.

"Just shut up Malfoy, and get out of my way! You sicken me!" she replied, pushing him out of the way and closing the door behind her.

_'What the hell was that? What did he mean, I look mighty fine? What is he trying to pull? Acting all nice… that wasn't even nice! Wait… did he just try and compliment me? What's gotten into him? What's gotten into me? I didn't even give him a chance!' _thought Hermione. She was utterly confused. _'Well it's not like I'd give him a chance that easily. After all he's done to Harry, Ron and me? Yeah right! He better not try and do anything he'd regret later. He's so confusing! But… maybe he meant something by what he said. Maybe he was trying to be nice… maybe he changed over the summer. NO, Hermione! Snap out of it. Normal people change, Draco Malfoy isn't normal and will NEVER change!' _she kept contemplating everything as she walked back to her compartment, but seeing Harry and Ginny together with Ron no where in sight, she decided to turn around and go back to the Head compartment. _'It's not like anyone will be there. Maybe I can get some peace and quiet. Listen to some music. Read a little bit more.' _But not before running into the compartment with Harry and Ginny, grabbing her luggage and running out, down the hall and into the Head compartment.

She grabbed her CD player, popped in a CD, hit play and listened to the music pounding in her ears. She started to cry. It was her favourite song – "Here's to the Night" by Eve 6. Her cousin, Matt, had bought her the album, Horrorscope as an early birthday gift. _'Matt… I miss you so much Matt! How could you…' _She started sobbing even harder as she thought about Matt, not noticing the door open and close behind her. Not noticing the young man with platinum blonde hair standing there. Not noticing the footsteps towards her, or the young man sitting down in a chair, staring at her, with sadness and confusion in his eyes.

_Here's to the nights we felt alive…  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry…  
Here's to goodbye…  
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon…_

Turning around, Hermione noticed Malfoy sitting in a chair staring out the window. He looked different. His hair wasn't slicked back anymore; instead, it fell loosely around his face. It was slightly longer, shaggy, a few curls at the ends around his ears. His eyes were still silver-gray, but they didn't look cold anymore. They had depth to them, she could get lost in them. He was taller than she remembered, and well built. He was more muscular, but it was just perfect for his toned body. He was tanned, but compared to his pale body before, he looked normal for once. She had calmed herself down and wasn't crying anymore. She was just staring at him. Something took over her; she was staring, not in hatred, but in awe, and confusion.

He turned back to her, realizing the crying had stopped and the room was silent. She turned away quickly, and he saw a slight pink creep into her cheeks.

_'She's blushing…'_ he thought. _'I made her blush. I wonder what she was crying about. Bloody hell! What's gotten into me today? Just looking at her… she makes me feel so calm. More calm than I've felt all summer. Maybe spending more time with her, maybe I'll be able to tell her. I feel like I can trust her… damn, what's wrong with me!' _He was becoming flustered with all these thoughts rushing through his head. _'Oh yeah, my father's in Azkaban, my mother is dead, and I feel alone. That's what's wrong. Maybe one day I can tell her… and maybe one day she'll listen…'_

"How long have you been here Malfoy?" questioned Hermione, making Malfoy snap out of his train of thought.

"What?" he answered confused.

"You heard me, how long have you been here? What are you doing creeping up on people? Sometimes people like to be alone! You could have at least knocked or said something! Oh, but of course, Malfoy doesn't find the need to be nice to other people. He's the mighty Slytherin king." she said with strong sarcasm in her voice. She was really mad at him. Did he witness her whole crying fest? She wanted to know!

"Listen, Granger! Don't get all mad at me. I did nothing wrong, unless you count sitting down in a chair in a compartment while looking out the window and thinking a crime, you have nothing to be furious about!" he yelled back. He didn't understand how she could be so calm one second and bursting with flames the next. She was getting on his nerves.

"Well, I just got a start, okay? I just want to know what you witnessed. It's not like I want the whole school to know that I was crying on the train ride to school, and knowing you, _Malfoy_, you're sure to tell the whole bloody world!" she shot back.

"Yeah, okay, I saw you crying, but I'm not going to tell the whole school, Granger. I may have done it in fifth year, or even last year, but I'm not the same as I was before. Not like you'd care or anything, but I'm going through hardships, just like you, by the looks of it!" he said, trying to regain his composure.

"Like what?" she pried. She was starting to calm down, but she wasn't sure if she believed him.

"I'd rather not talk about it. Can we leave it there, please?" he replied.

"What?" she was stunned.

"I said I'd rather not talk about it. So let's change the subject!"

"No, you said… _please_. You've never said please to me before." she said trying to stop acting like a fool.

"Yeah well, I said I changed, didn't I? I mean, you don't see me calling you _mudblood _or hexing you the minute I see you, do you?" he said, staring her straight in the eyes.

"N-no. You're right." She looked back at him, right back into his eyes. Those eyes that could pierce her soul, and look deep within her. "S-stop looking at me like that. It's scaring m-me…" she added.

"Fine!" and with those words he turned around and walked out the door, leaving Hermione utterly confused.

_'What was that? Maybe he has changed… for the better. But that was so confusing, why did he just leave?'_ She sighed. _'Well, I have the whole year to figure him out. And I intend to! Those eyes though… those gorgeous eyes. I felt like he was looking right through me… looking for my soul…'_

She turned back to her CD player, pulled out her Ancient Runes text book and started reading, letting the music flow in the background. Letting it bury itself deep within her heart.

_Let the fighting words lie…  
Let the candlelight die…  
Let the sun come up…  
Let the saline dry__…_

_

* * *

_

She stepped off the train, hopped into a carriage with Harry, Ron and Ginny and before she knew it, they were all standing at the entrance of the Great Hall. They walked over to the middle of the Gryffindor table and took a seat. Harry and Ginny sat side by side, across from Hermione and Ron. They waited patiently - except Ron who kept muttering things to himself that sounded oddly like "Hurry it up already", "Bloody hell" and "I don't recall our Sorting Ceremony being this long!" - as all the first years got sorted into the four houses.

Albus Dumbledore stood up, smiling at everyone around the Hall, with his arms outstretched. Everyone in the Great Hall stopped talking and looked up eagerly at the Headmaster.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! A new term has arrived, for both old and new students. Before we fill our tummies and go off to bed, I would like to say a few words, if I may. First of all, I would like to say that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students, and a few of the older students would do good to remember that." He paused, his eyes landing on Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind you that the list of objects not allowed on school grounds – unless you would like them confiscated – is posted on the bulletin board in your common rooms. I would also like to introduce this year's Head Boy and Head Girl. Would Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger please come up to the front of the Hall and join me?" he finished as Draco and Hermione stood up and walked over to the Headmaster as the Hall broke out into applause, most of the cheers coming from the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. "I would ask you two to please stay behind after the feast, so you can be shown to your Head Common Room, thank you. That is all, now… Tuck in!" he said as mouth-watering food appeared on the tables and Hermione and Draco walked back to their seats.

* * *

After the feast, everyone headed towards the exit, prefects leading the first years to their common rooms. 

"See you later, 'Mione. Tomorrow probably, considering that it's late and we aren't allowed out of the rooms!" said Ginny as she hugged Hermione. Ron and Harry nodded in agreement before they left.

"Goodnight guys and I'll see you in class tomorrow." she shouted after them.

"Goodnight 'Mione!" said Harry and Ron in unison.

Draco walked over to Hermione as his friends left in the direction of the Slytherin common room.

"Hey, Granger," he said just as she was turning around.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on people, Malfoy?" she asked coolly.

"It's not my fault you turned around at the wrong moment." he smirked.

"I did not-" she started, before getting cut off by a hand silencing her.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger. Please do not argue. You need to set a _good _example for the younger students, and I must say that fighting constantly isn't my idea of a good example. I need you two to lead the other students into house unity. I chose you two particularly because I believed that if you put your pride and ignorance behind you, you will find that you have many more things in common than you believed possible. Being the smartest pupils in your year, you must already know that this is the first time in a century that Gryffindor and Slytherin have been made Head Boy and Head Girl, but now, with the war over, we need to become closer, and I need it to start with you two. Now, please, for the school, the teachers, and for my sake… make a truce!" spoke Professor Dumbledore. He was calm, but the two teenagers knew that he was serious, and they didn't have a choice.

"Truce." said Hermione, determined.

"Truce." agreed Draco.

"Good! Now follow me." said Professor Dumbledore promptly, before turning around and heading up a few stairs. They followed him into a hallway they didn't even know existed. There were at least 5 doors on each side, with a big painting at the end of the deserted hallway. The painting consisted of 3 boys and a girl, in their school robes, with the Head Badge pinned on each of them. They were the four founders in their youth, each smiling widely at the tall boy, and average height girl accompanied by the Headmaster.

"The password is _'learn to love'_" said Dumbledore, turning around to face the Heads of the new school year. "Good luck! Ta ta!" He walked off down the hallway, leaving Draco and Hermione alone with the painting.

"Well, let's not waste time out here!" said Hermione to Draco and turning around to the painting once more she repeated the password. The door swung open, revealing a circle in the wall in which both students climbed through before the painting swung shut. As soon as she was on the opposite side of the wall, she stood frozen. The room was fascinating! It was easily twice the size of the Gryffindor common room.

"This is… gorgeous!" she exclaimed as she looked around the room in awe. Draco nodded in agreement, but Hermione didn't notice. She turned around to him. "Aren't you going to say anything? Perhaps how small this is compared to your room, or something _witty_ like that?"

"No." he said simply.

"Oh… okay." she replied slowly, feeling awkward.

The floor was of dark hardwood. There was a fireplace to one side of the room with three sofas surrounding it. The mantle above the fireplace was of the same dark wood as the floor, decorated in gold and silver carvings of lion cubs and baby snakes. The main couch was red and green, entwined in each other. The other two on either side were red/gold and emerald/silver. There was a coffee table set in the middle, made of glass and supported by a lion head with a serpent coiling itself around the lion's head and resting at the very top by the right ear. There were two desks on another wall, one with a red runner along it and the other with a green runner. The two chairs with the desks were each decorated with red and green designs and outlined with gold and silver. There was a whole wall dedicated to book shelves, stuffed with both muggle and wizard books. There was another wall that had French doors which led out to the balcony. The wall directly opposite the fireplace, there were two staircases. They both led to mahogany doors, but one of them had red carpet going up the stairs with lion cubs engraved on the railings of the stairs. At the top, there hung the Gryffindor banner above the door. The other staircase had emerald running up the stairs, with snakes engraved on the railings and at the top hung the Slytherin banner above the door.

Hermione ran up the Gryffindor staircase – the one on the left - to her door, turned the knob and entered into her room. It was beautiful. Absolutely magnificent. The walls were a rich shade of red, scarlet, with a gold leaf pattern around the room at the top of the wall. There was a king size bed in the middle of one wall to her left, with a canopy overtop in scarlet, falling over her neatly made bed. The sheets were red satin, and the quilt was red and gold with lion cubs playfully battling each other. Hermione figured it was a magic spell to keep them moving. Her trunk lay at the bottom of her bed. There were two nightstands with red shades and gold stands. There was a desk to one corner, with a bookshelf beside it and an armoire made of mahogany that was twice the size of her wardrobe at home. All her clothes were neatly hung and folded, just the way she liked them organized – by the season. There was a large window overlooking the fields leading down to Hagrid's cabin, with scarlet curtains pulled closed. There was a dark red couch just below the window. She looked around the room in admiration.

'_Malfoy's must be just like this, except in the Slytherin colours.' _She thought.

She then noticed a door to the left of the bookshelf made of the same mahogany as her bedroom door. She walked towards it and opened it up only to discover the bathroom. The walls were off-white; the tiles were a creamy colour and warm. Built in heating. She always loved the heated floors, especially during winter. There was a large bathtub to one corner with lots of buttons surrounding the outside edge. There were two sinks on one long table and 4 drawers below each sink for the person's personal belongings, and on the wall was a cabinet with 3 mirrors, above each sink. One sink was white with golden taps and the second was white with silver taps. On the other side of the wall was a shower with blurred glass so that you couldn't see the person in the shower. Beside the shower was a lavatory. She was in love with this dorm, this Head dorm. It was getting better every moment. She noticed another mahogany door which she guessed led to Malfoy's room.

* * *

Draco was exploring the balcony which was pretty long and wide, with benches along the edge of the doors and a medium high railing. He then entered his room, smirking. It was just like the Malfoy Manor. He then noticed the bathroom door and walked towards it.

* * *

She was just about to turn the knob to go back to her room when she heard his doorknob twist. She looked around and saw his bleach blonde hair sticking out of the door. She smiled. 

"Oh sorry, I'll check it out later." He said to her, politely, not wanting to start an argument this late.

"No, no, it's okay. You can come in. I was just on my way out." she replied, trying to stop herself from grinning so widely. It didn't work.

"Why are you smiling so much?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Oh, nothing. It's just… you're being _nice_." she said, giving in and starting to giggle.

"Well, I'm not incapable of being a nice guy, you know." He started to smile too.

"I guess so… Anyway, I should go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow and I'm extremely tired." She sighed and turned around, opening the door to her room and entering.

"Goodnight, Gra-_Hermione_!" he said, smiling at her her as he said her name.

She just stood still, confused. But then she smiled herself. She liked the way he said her name, the certain emphasis he put on it, even if she wasn't sure what he was getting at. She decided to question him tomorrow.

"Goodnight, _Draco_!" she replied before closing the door, changing into her PJ's and jumping into her warm bed, thoughts of the past day and excitement for the upcoming days passing through her.

* * *

******a/n - Well there you go. The third chapter is up. I know it was really long, but I had to get a lot in it. Sorry if it got boring. Really. Anyhoo I have a few thank-you's to send out. And keep reading and reviewing:)  
**

******RavenEcho - **thank you so much for being my first reviewer. Don't worry, it will start to pick up and sorry if I bored you in the earlier chapters. Have fun on your trip and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

******zan189**** - **thanks so much for the long and brilliant review! You made my day! I hope you like this chapter and keep reading. I loved to hear what concerned you and what you thought I should improve on. It really helped me and I hope this chapter satisfies you. Thank you so much, once again! You're fantastic!

******FadedRose**** - **Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you like this chapter. I tried to get it up as soon as possible. Enjoy!

******morgan000**** - **haha thanks. I'm glad you like it. Hope you like this one!

******Luv ya guys! Peace out!**


	4. Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer - Harry Potter and all the other LOVELY characters created by the noggin of one smart author, a.k.a J.K belong to that smart author, a.k.a J.K, and only the plot really belongs to me. **

**We Belong Together**

**Chapter 4: Wake Up Call**

Hermione awoke with a start the next morning. She was shivering, but she didn't notice it. She reached up to her forehead only to realize that she had broken out into a cold sweat, but she didn't care. She jumped out of bed and ran to her trunk, pulled out a small red box and opened it. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and shut the box with a _snap_.

"Are you alright?" came a voice from the doorway behind Hermione.

Hermione spun around so fast she hit her head on her bedpost, letting go off the box and collapsing on the ground. Draco ran over to her, helping her to her feet.

"God, Hermione! What the bloody hell happened to you? Are you okay?" he asked trying to get her to regain her balance. "Well of course you're not okay; you're practically passed out in my arms. You have a bloody high fever and I don't think you can hear me right now" he muttered to himself. "Hermione! Wake up, damnit!"

"Draco... Draco… what… what happened?" came Hermione's soft voice as she tried to open her eyes.

"Thank God, Hermione! Come on, try and stand up. You bumped your head. You're sick. I need to get you to the Hospital Wing. Can you walk? Open your eyes, Granger!" said Draco as he started walking towards the door with Hermione in his arms, when he laid her gently on the floor. He quickly darted into his room, grabbed his robes, threw them on him and gingerly picked up Hermione again and walked out the door.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" asked a helpless Hermione.

"We called a truce, didn't we? I'm trying to be nice here. Look Granger, we can talk all you like later, but for now, I just want to get you to the Hospital Wing safely and without any more interruptions. So please, just stay quiet and let me take you there."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. He hadn't noticed Hermione's eyes close and her body fall heavy and limp. Draco's mind was racing.

_'Why am I helping her? I mean, I know we called a truce and everything but… what the hell happened to her? Why was she screaming bloody murder this morning? And what was in that red box she was holding? Damn… she's already corrupted my mind… I mean… what the hell am I thinking? She's Granger… but God she looks gorgeous this year! And she's changed. She's not all prissy and up-tight, she's let go, she's… normal for once… but I can't help her. People will wonder, things will be said, and my reputation I've worked so hard to build will be ruined. The strong walls I've surrounded myself with will be broken. I won't let her get through to me, no one would believe me if they knew the truth about my life and what I'm going through and bad life or good, nothing's going to change...'_

His thoughts were cut short as they reached the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey came running outside, huffing and fussing.

"Oh my, Merlin! What happened to her? Get her inside now! Mr. Malfoy, I would much appreciate you talking to me and telling me what happened to Ms. Granger here, rather than just standing there like a baboon white faced and sickly."

"I-I… She-she bumped her head on her bed post this morning, collapsed, has a high fever… probably from screaming all night long. I didn't know what was wrong with her, she kept slipping in and out of consciousness, I just decided to bring her here." came the fast paced response.

"Dear boy, I think you should lie down. You seem very tired, and don't worry about Ms. Granger; she's in good hands now."

That certainly snapped Draco out of his reverie as he turned around to face Madam Pomfrey head on and looked about ready to break something.

"I am _NOT_ worried about Granger, I'm bloody mad is what I am. How would you like not getting any sleep on you're first night here because a bloody know-it-all princess thought she could shriek all night long and not affect anyone. _That's_ why I look tired; I need some damn good, well earned sleep!" bellowed Draco. Obviously a lack of sleep, and the realization that truce or no truce, he was still a Slytherin and _she_ was still a Gryffindor, and the two just did not, absolutely no way in hell mix well and he could not, did not want to worry about her as well as everything else he had to deal with. He thought it ridiculous and impossible! He was back to being his arrogant and conceited self.

"Mister Malfoy, please do _not_ yell in my face and do _not_ talk to me that way. And on top of that, especially not in a hospital wing, where there are patients. _Ever_. Now please, mind your manners and LEAVE THIS MOMENT!" retorted a very livid, purple-faced nurse.

That's exactly what Draco did. He turned around and stormed out of that bloody hospital wing angry and weary with only one thing on his mind: Granger and how he couldn't believe he actually _cared_ for her earlier this morning.

Well damn her, he didn't need this. He didn't need extra weight on his shoulders; he didn't need people thinking he'd gone soft, even if it was only Madam Pomfrey and even though she hadn't really said that in any way. He knew she had meant well and she was just worried about Granger, but to point out that _he_ was worried about her? That drew the line, because it would start with the nurse, then the professors, then the students and above all, he especially didn't need his reputation ruined by a Muggleborn.

He wasn't paying attention to where his feet were carrying him but when he looked up at last he was sitting down at the table in the Great Hall, food on his plate with Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zambini on either side of him. Most of the student body was filing in through the doors and seating themselves at their appropriate table, stuffing themselves with food.

'_Disgusting. It's as though they haven't eaten in ages!' _thought Malfoy, still highly disgruntled. He noticed Harry and Ron over at the Gryffindor table, noticed their faces go from cheery to confused as they realized Hermione was no where to be seen and neither one of them had bothered to check on her this morning. He noticed the horror on their faces as they came to, no doubt, absurd explanations that he was surely involved in some way as the bad guy since they kept throwing evil glances. He was starting to feel better. Knowing that he was the reason of them being uncomfortable and seeing them jolt from their chairs and run out the door, no doubt to check on Hermione, he felt pleased with himself. They wouldn't find her and they would come to more revolting conclusions. Oh, how he enjoyed playing with their minds.

Pansy was the first to notice Draco's smile grow wider, and it was starting to creep her out, not to mention annoy her since she had just glanced over her time-table for her first term and wasn't very eager to begin classes.

"Why are you so joyful?" she asked, in a not so nice manor.

"Why are you so dejected?" he shot back.

"Not a good time-table. I have double Divination this morning with the bloody know-it-all Ravenclaws and then Herbology with the damned Gryffindors." she replied sourly, and then added, "By the way, here's yours. I picked it up along with mine since I hadn't seen you. Where were you all this time? It's almost time for classes to begin."

Draco grabbed his schedule, scanned it over quickly, then crumpled it up and stuffed it in his robes. He reached out for some pancakes and dribbled maple syrup over them before answering Pansy. "Thanks, and I was at the Hospital Wing. The stupid Granger girl woke me up before the bloody sun had risen, she was sick so I took her to the nurse. Let her deal with the insufferable girl." he explained to one of his best friends. No matter what people thought, Pansy was not an idiotic, shag-everyone girl. She was smart, decent and he thought of her as his own sister.

"And you still seem to amaze me…" she trailed off softly.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. His mood was lightening since talking to Pansy was like talking to a sister, and he enjoyed it. "What do mean 'I still seem to amaze you'? What have I done that is oh so heroic?"

"Don't flatter yourself Draco. I didn't say anything about heroism. I just meant that no matter how much of an enemy she is, you've still got to be gentlemanly. You couldn't have just left her?" Pansy was trying hard to suppress a smile. She loved arguing with the blonde-haired Slytherin.

"Of course I couldn't just leave her! Did you not hear me, woman? She was screeching so damn loudly! I couldn't sleep! But you know, you're right. I guess I'm just too much of a gentleman."

"Becoming everything but your father I see."

Draco froze. He hated talking about his father, even with Pansy. "Don't you know it." he answered rigidly before getting up, brushing off his robes and walking off to Divination with Pansy right beside him.

* * *

Hermione woke up, slowly rubbing her tired eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She couldn't even remember the events that had taken place. She looked around her, the white walls dazing her slightly. Then it all came flooding back in a head rush that gave her a headache. She had awoken from a nightmare, collapsed in Draco's arms, he had taken her to the infirmary, the red box, the slipping in and out of consciousness, the spells Madam Pomfrey had cast on her, and the vile medicine she was forced to drink which would put her into a dreamless sleep – something that she desperately needed. But all of that had taken place before the beginning of classes, and by the looks of it, it seemed about mid-day.

'_Where is Draco anyway?'_ she wondered. "Well, probably having lunch, of course" she muttered to herself. _'It sure was nice of him to take me here though. I wonder if he'll come and visit. I wonder if anyone's come to visit me by now…'_

Madam Pomfrey had just bustled by her bed when she realized Hermione was awake.

"Ms. Granger! How are you feeling, dear?" asked the maiden.

"I'm alright, just a little tired, thanks. Has umm… well… what I mean is… has-has anyone come by here?" Hermione spoke in a feeble voice.

The nurse's expression softened at her patient's inquiry. "Indeed Miss. Your three young friends seem to never miss a thing. Harry, Ron and Ginny were in here after the end of first class."

Hermione smiled, this was exactly what she needed. She felt happy at the confidant thought running through her head. _'I need them more than ever this year, and it sure is good to know that they care so much!' _Although she never doubted them for a second, she just felt more assured and secure. But then her mind wandered to a certain arrogant albino and she reprimanded herself inwardly for letting her thoughts drift. He was kind last night, and even this morning, but he was so confusing. Why hadn't he come to visit her?

"Classes are just ending, dear." came Madam Pomfrey's kind voice, returning Hermione back to reality. "You're fever has died down and as long as you're feeling capable, you're welcome to leave."

"Thank-you Madam Pomfrey. I think I'll go. I'm feeling a lot better." and with that, Hermione rose from her bed and exited the hospice, heading towards the Head Common Room and longing for a hot, relaxing bath.

* * *

Draco walked out of Ancient Runes with another of his best friends, Blaise Zambini, and feeling a lot happier than he had this morning. He had cleared his head and had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to let a _mudblood_ such as Hermione Granger change him. It was his last year and he would get through it with people thinking of him the way they had thought of him since his first year. He had nothing left to live for and he didn't care about anything now, except for himself, Pansy and Blaise.

He walked in through the Head Common Room door, only to be in the same place as the person he hadn't wanted to see. Hermione heard the portrait swing open and she heard the footsteps enter the dormitory, but she didn't want to spin around. She didn't want to face him just yet, because for some reason, for some odd, unexplainable reason, she had a bad feeling.

"I should have expected that a mudblood such as yourself wouldn't even be grateful for saving your life" came the cold, harsh words from the mouth of a malicious Slytherin.

"_Excuse me?_" was all she could squeak out as she spun around, face flushed with anger, embarrassment and stupidity from ever believing he could actually have had heart and might have actually changed for the better. But all that came to her mind was _'Liar! He was just putting on a bloody act yesterday and last night!' _

Draco was smirking, and Hermione was way past the point of being furious.

* * *

**a/n - Well then. To begin... I am SOOO sorry for the _long _delay but I do have reasons. First off, school started and grade 10 sure is a lot harder than I expected. Second, someone died. Third, I've been going through a rough time, that I've been numb for a long time and my heart just wasn't into the things I once loved. Fourth, writer's block did clog my brain for a little while, but that eventually turned into my fifth reason, laziness. So, I'm sorry, but I hope that was happy reading. I know things took a curve, but I like twists, because not ever good relationship started out that way, and it definately isn't happy and lovely all throughout.**

**Also, thank you for all those brilliant reviews! My mind is already in motion for the 5th chapter, and thanks to the holidays, I should be able to get it very soon. Now, thanks again, and keep reading, and keep reviewing! I love you guys so much.  
Ciao **


	5. No Escape

**Disclaimer - Harry Potter does not and never will belong to me. Everything but the plot belongs to the smart and talented J.K. **

**We Belong Together**

**Chapter 5: No Escape**

Hermione was standing there; rage practically written all over her face and all Draco could do was lean against the wall and smirk. He loved seeing her wind up like this, after a long day and his grumpy mood that she had caused earlier that morning, he wanted nothing more than a good argument to get her angry.

"You heard me Granger" he said, enjoying seeing her face screw up and her eyes narrow. Pure hatred, just the way it should be. He let slip a small smile, before covering it up into a smirk once more.

"Un-believable!" she said through gritted teeth, emphasizing the first part of the word. "You are… unbelievable! I can't, I just… I can't believe you!" she continued trying to remain calm. She was too tired, and she just wanted to relax. She'd already missed the first day of school and she was eager to catch up.

"Being quite repetitive and quite annoying, aren't we? What's wrong Granger? Forgotten how to speak? That's got to be a first."

"Just shut up, Malfoy!" she spat, her eyes were blazing, and it took all of her effort just to stop herself from lunging on the idiot and choking him to death.

"Make me"

"What are you? A five year old?" she asked, annoyed at his childish behavior, but before he could say another word, she sighed heavily, threw her hands up in the air, gave a loud cry of anger and stormed up her stairs.

She sat on her bed for a long time, replaying in her head the events that had just taken place, trying to make sense of everything that had happened since she had come back to Hogwarts. First he's weird, then he's nice and then he's a complete jerk!

_'Why the hell does he have to be so bloody confusing!' _she mentally screamed. She was sick of him already and it was only her second night with the git. She didn't want to think of the upcoming days, so she got up and went in for a hot bath, sure that it would help relieve her stress. As she walked to the bathroom door, she stopped when she saw the small red box at the foot of her bed. She walked over to it, quickly peered inside to make sure its contents were still there, snapped it shut and dropped it into her trunk.

* * *

Draco sat on the couch in the common room, trying to work on the Potions essay he had received as homework earlier that afternoon, but he couldn't focus. His mind kept coming back to a certain brunette, and no matter how hard he tried to shake her out of his head, he couldn't. It was quite annoying really, and as he looked up at the clock, something in his head clicked. 

_'Damnit!'_ he exclaimed, jumping up from the seat rather quickly. _'It's already 9:45, and we were supposed to start patrolling the halls at 9!' _Draco already had one foot out in the hallway when he remembered something else._ 'Shit! Things can't get worse can they? How am I going to get Granger to come with me? We're supposed to do it together.'_ But as he looked up at Hermione's door, and back at his watch, he didn't want to risk getting into another argument and missing the chance to give students detention. He was already put off that he missed 45 minutes, so he made up his mind to forget about Granger and go by himself.

* * *

Hermione walked out of the bathroom and into her room, more happy now than she had been just over 2 hours ago. She heard the portrait swing open and close, but didn't think much of it. She then changed into her pajamas, grabbed a book from the library section of the common room and settled herself in front of the burning fire.

Hermione had been reading for not more than 10 minutes when she started to wonder where Draco had disappeared off to. He wasn't anywhere in the common room, she didn't see him on the balcony and she didn't hear anyone in the bathroom, but she decided to check anyway. So she pulled herself off the couch, walked up the stairs and knocked twice on the bathroom door. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer, so she opened it slowly and saw that it was deserted.

She was just about to walk back out when his door caught her eye and she decided to check in there. Once again, Hermione pulled her fist up and knocked lightly on the door. Nothing. This time, she decided to just open it up instead of knocking again. Cautiously, she pushed open the door and saw no one. Not that she had expected anyone because no matter how mad Draco was, he would still answer to a knock on the door. She was certain.

Before the Gryffindor realized what she was doing, her feet had walked her into the room and she was now standing beside his bed, looking around the room. She was right; it did look exactly like her room, but in green and silver with black here and there. She noticed he was very well organized, which surprised her greatly. The only boys' rooms she had ever been in before were those of her best friends and the twins back at the burrow and they had all been messy and it had annoyed her.

Just as she was about to leave his room, still wondering where in the world he had gone, she looked at the clock on his bedside table. It read 10:32 and as she stared at it for a few more minutes the answer she had been searching for finally dawned on her.

Hermione grabbed her wand as fast as she could and ran out of the dormitory and into the halls. She flew down a couple flights of stairs and ran into something at full speed causing her to stumble and fall over backwards with a _thump_. She looked up slowly and met the smirk of Draco Malfoy.

'_Great'_ she thought to herself. _'Just fabulous'_

"Glad to see you remembered" Draco said, extending an arm to help her up but he quickly withdrew it as he saw the puzzled look on Hermione's face and the confusion in his head was more recognizable to him.

"Umm… yeah… well I'm not stupid you know"

"No… but you are late" he smirked.

"Look, I just have a lot on my mind, okay? So don't push me Malfoy because one argument a day is good enough for me."

"Clearly…"

"Ugh! I'm going on patrol duty, so whatever. You can stand there and argue with yourself for all I care."

"Granger-"

"And I see we're back on last names. That's great Malfoy. I just don't bloody well understand why you're so damn confusing!"

"Granger-"

"No no, I don't want to hear any lame excuses. I shouldn't have expected anything to change. You were just acting nice, and you led me to believe that you could be different. But what was I thinking? You're a bloody Slytherin, and one that hated me from the very beginning. Nothing could change and I don't know why I thought-"

"GRANGER!" he exclaimed.

"What!" she said, her hands clenched tightly by her side and her face turning red again. There was no way to escape each other and the arguments that awaited them, no matter how hard they tried.

"Look, woman! I was only going to say, that we need to patrol together. That's the rule. But now that you've been ranting on about everything else I might as well get that cleared up as well since I want to get some decent sleep tonight! First of all, I was, am and always will be confusing. No one can bloody figure me out, not even Pansy and Blaise and sometimes, not even myself! Second, I _have_ changed and I wasn't acting or leading you to any misconceptions. Third, you're right. I _am_ a Slytherin, and I did despise you, but I wasn't alone in that. You and your two damned bodyguards hated me as much as I hated everyone. And lastly, things _can_ change, they already have Granger, you just don't know what's been going on in my life and I just don't know how to deal with it. It's like you said yourself, I just have a lot on my mind, okay?"

Hermione just stood there with her mouth hanging open. She didn't know what to do or say and for the second time that day she had lost all of her brains due to the Slytherin Prince, and it was unnerving.

"Come on, let's just go!" Draco said, annoyed at the silence that surrounded them and he started walking off down the corridor with Hermione trailing behind.

"I'm… well…" Hermione sighed deeply and stopped. Draco has stopped walking too, but he kept his back to Hermione. She continued "I don't know what to say. I was just… you just made me so angry earlier on today! I mean, I thought things were starting to look good this year and then you had to go and say something degrading, something awful and just ruin my whole bloody night! And-"

"I'm sorry…" he whispered shakily.

"W-what?"

"I said I'm sorry" he spoke louder, but his voice was quivering and his fists were held tightly by his side.

Hermione sighed again and walked towards him. She couldn't believe what she was doing, or what she was about to do, but she couldn't stop herself. It was just natural of her. She put her hand on his shoulder, and surprisingly, he didn't shake it off or make any rude remarks. He just let her touch him.

"Malfoy, I don't know what's going on. But I just wish you'd make up your mind as to what you think of me this year, because with everything else I have to deal with, I can't sit for ages and figure out why you're acting the way you're acting. I have too much going on, and I don't need anything else making this year worse. So…" she paused and stepped back from him before continuing "make up your mind now. Do we call a truce and try to work together? Or do we make each other's lives a living hell, just like the past 6 years."

Draco turned around slowly on the spot, his face emotionless. It bothered Hermione that there was no trace of a smirk or anything and she didn't know what his decision was going to be, but before she could think long and hard about it, he spoke up. It was soft, but crystal clear.

"You're not so bad Granger" he stated, and at the raised eyebrow of Hermione's, he went on. "Mind if we carry on this conversation else where? Say perhaps… our dormitory? I have something I want to tell you."

"But what about-"

"We should've been done half an hour ago. Come on," he said smiling slightly, as he grabbed Hermione's hand and led them back to their Common Room.

* * *

**a/n - 5th chapter. Hope you all liked, and if not then please be my guest and critisize. It's not fair to only hear the good and not the bad, how does anyone expect to learn? So yeah, please keep reading and reviewing. I rely on you guys to get me through this fic and for all my faithfuls out there, thank you daaalings ever so much! Now for a few individual shout-outs.**

**yelowtulips****1026 - **I'm glad you like the cliff-hangers because I'm big on those. It just makes everything so much better! heehee. The twins on twins thing was what my best friend and I always wanted to do because we looked like twins and we used to pretend we were when we were younger and it was always cute. Everything with Herms and Draco will get cleared up in the next chapter, if not both of their problems at least one. And I put the Ron/Herms thing in there, because I'm also a R/Hr shipper and things just wouldn't be right without some mention of their relationship. Anyhoo, thanks so much and I hope you like this chapter!

**CS June** - Thanks for your review and I was happy to hear about your concerns. I didn't think much at the time about the amount of muggle wear, but after you pointed it out, I do see that I did mention a lot. But then again, Hermione is muggle-born so in the summers she does spend her time with muggle contraptions. But thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Touch of the Wind**** - **I am so sorry to hear about your mother, but what you said has really encouraged me to move on from what has happened and the death that has taken place. So thank you for that, and also thanks for the review and I'm so happy you liked the last chapter. The truth about Hermione is still a secret and will either be uncovered in the next chapter, or the one after that, but Draco's secret you will definately find out in the next chapter. It has already been mentioned here and there. Thanks again SO much and I hope you like this chapter!

**MrsGabriellaMalfoy** - Thanks for pointing out that Ravenclaw was a girl too. I've changed that and I'm glad you like the story so far. Happy reading and hope this chapter was good enough.

**The Future MrsDaniel Radcliffe** - Thanks for the review and good luck with grade 10! I also checked out your fic and left a review. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

**Bye guys, until the next update! (hopefully SOON!)**


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